One of the best new wave bands from the UK is XTC with their mixture of new wave and post punk. Today I will introduce you to their in my opinion best albums. 

Andy Partridge (guitars and vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass and vocals) met each other in 1970 and formed a glam rock back together with drummer Terry Chambers that went through many different names for the band. For example Star Park (Mark II) and Helium Kidz. Other people continuously joined and left the band. Keyboard player Jonathan Perkins was the last one to leave the band when a replacement was found through a "Keyboard player seeks band" advertisement. It was going to be Barry Andrews. They didn't do an audition but go out drinking together instead. 

Finally in 1975 the band name was changed to XTC. They signed with Virgin Records in 1977 because of their great live performances and refusal to do conventional punk rock. They first made an EP titled "3D EP" recorded in the Abbey Road Studios. Their first album was "White Music" (reaching #38 in the UK) and the singles released from that album didn't chart. "Statue Of Liberty" was banned by the BBC because of the lyric "I sail beneath her skirt". They decided that Brian Eno would produce their next album when the heared that he was a fan of the band. Brian declined because they were good enough to produce themselves he said. Virgin Records disagree with Brian and rehired producer John Leckie who also produced their debut album. "Go 2" was a more experimental albums reaching #21 in the UK. The track "Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)" was a tribute to Brian Eno. Andrews left the band to form the League of Gentlemen together with Robert Fripp from King Crimson. They didn't replace him with a new keyboard player but a second guitarist instead: Dave Gregory from cover band Dean Gabber and His Gaberdines. Many exclusive singles were released including "Life At The Hop". 

Their worldwide breakthrough came with the single "Making Plans For Nigel" in 1979 from "Drums And Wires" (UK#34). The next album was "Black Sea" (1980) reaching #16 in the UK. In the video for "Generals And Majors" Richard Brandson makes his appearance as a military. After the successful album "English Settlement" (UK #5) including "Senses Working Overtime" in 1982 they decided to stop touring like the Beatles did and continued to work in the studio only to release more albums. They also released an album with 60's psychedelica under the pseudonym Dukes Of Stratosphear. Their music started evolving but the musical differences between Andy and Colin was also growing which led to the end of the band.

See also my review for the album "English Settlement".

This is my top 3 of albums by XTC:

Orginal album cover

1. Drums And Wires (1979)
Making Plans for Nigel / Helicopter / Day In Day Out / When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty / Ten Feet Tall / Roads Girdle the Globe / Real by Reel / Millions / That Is the Way / Outside World / Scissor Man / Complicated Game

Original album cover

2. White Music (1978)
Radios in Motion / Cross Wires / This Is Pop / Do What You Do / Statue of Liberty / All Along the Watchtower / Into the Atom Age / I'll Set Myself on Fire / I'm Bugged / New Town Animal in a Furnished Cage / Spinning Top / Neon Shuffle

Original album cover

3. English Settlement (1982)
Runaways / Ball and Chain / Senses Working Overtime / Jason and the Argonauts / No Thugs in Our House / Yacht Dance / All of a Sudden (It's Too Late) / Melt the Guns / Leisure / It's Nearly Africa / Knuckle Down / Fly on the Wall / Down in the Cockpit / English Roundabout / Snowman


Making Plans For Niger

This Is Pop

Melt The Guns